New tech to help government eavesdrop on Skype chats?

LONDON: New eavesdropping technology could allow government agencies to 'silently record' conversations on internet chat services like Skype. Until now, so called voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services have been difficult to tap into, because of the way they send information over the web.

The services convert analogue audio signals into digital data packets, which are then sent in a way that is costly and complex for third parties to intercept, the 'Daily Mail' reported. But now a California businessman has obtained a patent for a 'legal intercept' technology he said "would allow governments to silently record" VoIP communications".

Dennis Chang, president of VoIP-PAL , a chat service similar to Skype, claims his system would allow authorities to identify and monitor suspects merely by accessing their username and subscriber data. According to the patent, they could also be tracked down by billing records that associate names and addresses with usernames.

This would make not only audio conversations but 'any other data streams such as pure data and/or video or multimedia data' open for interception.

A 'smart bag' to charge all gadgets

Researchers claim to have developed the 'world's first smart bag' that can charge your electronic devices like mobiles and laptops besides storing them. A Kickstarter project is helping to raise funds for the bag called 'Phorce' , website Mashable reported. The bag has a waterproof shell and specially designed pockets to safely hold all the big tablets on the market.